MUMBAI, India – Low-cost airline SpiceJet will start direct flights from New Delhi to the Afghan capital Kabul from Tuesday (August 14th) as trade and medical tourism grows between the two countries.

SpiceJet will be India's first private airline to operate a direct service to Kabul with its one-hour flight, three times a week. The state-run Air India also flies to Afghanistan, six times a week.

"India and Afghanistan always had strong trade links. The idea is to revive that growth potential," SpiceJet spokeswoman Priti Dey told AFP.

India is keen to expand its economic influence in Afghanistan, but New Delhi is also acutely aware of nuclear-armed rival Pakistan's sensitivities about Indian "encroachment".

In October last year, India and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership aimed at deepening security and economic links.